Circuit breaker



July 19, 1938. w. H. FRANK Er Ax.

CIRCUIT'BREAKER original Filed March 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 LOAD INVENTORS.

July 19, 1938. wl H. FRANK Er A. 2,124,413

' CIRCUIT BREAKER Original Filed March 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f l Fi Ea'vi f.

60 7a 77 66 v 8H B oRY/ Patented July 19, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE troit, Mich.,

assignors to Bulldogv Electric Products Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of West Virginia Original application M 717,989, now Patent arch 29. 1934, Serial No. No. 2,035,743, dated March 31, 1936. Divided and this application February 3, 1936, Serial 4 Claims.

This application relates to circuit breakers and discloses a novel form of breaker. It is a divisional of a prior application, Serial No. 717,989, led March 29, 1934, now Patent No. 2,035,743, granted March 31, 1936.

Details of the construction shown will be understood upon reference to the followng detailed descriptive matter which relates to the appended drawings. In these drawings,

Figs. 1-3 show a breaker in top plan, end, and elevational View, and in on position;

Figs. 4 and 5 show the breaker in elevational View and in 01T and overload off positions, respectively;

Figs. 3a., 4a, and 5a are diagrammatic views like Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

The device shown includes a base 60 having a line contact 6I which may be engaged by contact 62 on the end of Contact arm 63, and a thermostatic or bimetallic warping element 64, one of whose legs is connected to contact arm 63 by a flexible jumper 65, and the other of whose legs is connected to a load line, as shown.

The arm 63 is journalled on pin 66, connecting the upwardly extending frame plates 61 rigidly secured to the base. At 68 the arm is pivotally connected to the lower ends of a pair of links 69, which, at their upper ends, are pivotally connected to the lower ends of linksll. this connection including an axle-pin 12. Links 1I are connected by a pin 13 to an upwardly projecting link 14 which is journalled in the open frame 61 at 15. The circular motion of pin 13 about pin 15 is restricted by its being positioned to ride in an arcuate hill and valley recess 16 in the interior edges of frame plates 61.

Pins 11 in the lower part of the frame journal an operating arm or handle 18 which partially encloses frame 61 and the parts therein contained, and which is surmounted by a manipulating handle 19.

The sides of handle 18 are cut out as shown at 8| to clear coiled tension resisting springs 82, whose upper ends are hooked into holes 83 of handle 18 and whose lower ends are hooked around axle pin 12. These springs tend to pull towards the left and upwardly on pin 12, when the parts are at rest, in on position, such movement of the pin, together with a corresponding movement of the linkage, being prevented by the pins being positioned in an elongated slot 84 of a link 85, pivotally connected by a pin 86 to a pawl 81, journalled in frame 61 o-n contact arm journal pin66., the pawl preventing the linkage, etc., from moving.

` and 1l to the right, thus causing (Cl. 20o- 116) The right end 88 of the pawl 81 is held down by a shoulder 89 on the warping element 64. The upper left hand end 9| of pawl 81 is pivotally connected, by a pin 92, to an upwardly projecting arm 93, having a curved upper end 94 bearing against link 14, with a constant pressure, created by the compressive action of a spring 95 which is rigidly connected to pin 66 and is pivotally connected to arm 93, at 96. The upper portion 91 of handle 18 is provided with a downwardly projecting striker 98 which engages a lug 99 on arm 93 when the latter is in its uppermost position.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Assume the parts to be in on position. When the circuit is to be broken, handle 19 is moved to the right, causing the line of action of the springs to be shifted to the right. When the line of action of these springs crosses the links 1|, the pull of the spring 82 will collapse the toggle linkage 69 the contact arm 63 to snap the contact 62 away from contact 6I, effecting a quick rupturing of the circuit. The parts are held at rest in this, the normal off position, by the pull of springs 82 and by the fact that parts 69-1| abut frames 61.

When the parts are to be moved from the normal 01T to the on position, handle 19 is moved to the left. The springs 82 will be moved to the left until they cross the links 1l whereupon they will snap the toggle 69-11 to its on or its extreme left hand position where pin 12 engages with the left hand end of the elongated slot 84 in link 85.

When the parts are in the on position and an overload in the circuit causes element 64 to warp to the right, pawl 81 will be released. This relieves pin 12 for movement to the left and springs 82, pulling up and to the left, will quickly snap pin 12 up and to the left, causing a quick break. Link 14 will be rotated counter-clockwise about pivot 15 forcing pin 13 to snap to the righ-t hand end of the arcuate recess 16 in frame 61. There is thus produced, by all this action, quick-break between contacts lil-62, and all the parts will come to rest in overload 01T position.

To reset the device, handle 19 is rst moved to the right. When the line of action of the springs 82 crosses the pivots 12 and 13, the pull of these springs will collapse the lower toggle linkage 69--1I to the right. The edges of links 1l engage the end 9| of pawl 81 and rotate it clockwise about pivot 66 until its end 88 passes by and under tongue 89 of element 64. The striker 98 on handle 19 passes over and behind link 93, the latter moving like a pawl about pivot 92 to permit the striker to pass behind it. When the handle is then thrown to the left to on position, it engages link 93, forcing link 'H4 to rotate clockwise about pivot l5 until it reaches the on position.

It will be observed that for a normal switching action the handle 19 is moved towards the right to collapse the major linkage 69--1i with a spring over-center action by moving the knee 12 thereof to the right and thus moving the interrupter 63 out of closed circuit position; and that handle 'i9 may be moved to the left to straighten the major linkage iis-'II by movement of the knee thereof back to closed circuit position with an over-center spring action and thus moving the interrupter back to closed circuit position.

` On overload action the circuit current responsive means comprising the pawl 81 collapses the major linkage by moving the knee thereof to the left Without such movement being necessarily accompanied by movement of the handle i9; such movement is accelerated by the springs 82 and such movement causes the interrupter 63 to open the circuit; such movement is also accompanied by collapse of the minor linkage l I-14 by movement of the knee 13 thereof tothe right.

For reset thereafter, handle 19 is moved to the right to reverse the major linkage GS-H; thereafter movement of handle 'i9 back to the left will reverse the minor linkage 'll-lf3 with the result that after such double motion of the handle i9 both linkages and the parts are left in the closed circuit condition of Fig. 3a.

We claim:

1. In a circuit breaker, a three link mechanism including two connected toggle linkages having a first end link, a common link, and a second end link, automatically operating circuit responsive means operable to cause overload release by collapsing one linkage comprising the first end link and the common link and thereafter shifting the second end link and with it the already collapsed linkage, the mechanism being so constructed and arranged as to be resettable by reversing the linkage comprising the common link and the first end link while the second end link is in its shifted position and thereafter reversing the linkage comprising the common link and the second end link and thereafter straightening the linkage comprising the rst end link and the common link.

2. A construction of the character described in claim 1 provided with means constantly biasing the first mentioned linkage out of closed circuit position, and a circuit current responsive latch holding the first mentioned linkage in closed circuit position against the influence of the last mentioned means.

3. A construction of the character described in claim 1 provided with means manually operable for causing the collapsing of the rst mentioned linkage when it is in its closed circuit position without disturbing the second end link.

4. A construction of the character described in claim 1 provided with means constantly biasing the first mentioned linkage out of closed circuit position, and a circuit current responsive latch holding the first mentioned linkage in closed circuit position against the iniuence of the last mentioned means, and also provided with means manually operable for causing the collapsing of the first mentioned linkage when it is in its closed circuit position without disturbing the second end link.

JOSEPH A. MESSING. WILLIAM H. FRANK. 

